NEWS AND EVENTS

PCOM Hosts Military Medicine Conference

Military medical students from the region as well as across the country attended the
recent Military Medical Student Symposium to make connections with each other and
their future leaders in military medicine.

The Student Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons and the PCOM
President’s Subcommittee for Military Members, Veterans/Discharged and Their Families
recently presented the fourth annual Military Medical Student Symposium, a two-day
event designed as an opportunity for MD and DO military medical students from campuses
all across the country to connect with each other and their future leaders in military
medicine.

Several active military physicians shared their experiences with nearly 80 student
attendees during breakout sessions, and discussed the important role doctors play
on the battlefield. Recent medical school graduates, including PCOM alumnus C. Woodworth
Parker, MS, DO ’16, discussed their participation in the Health Professions Scholarship
Program (HPSP), which allows students to have the cost of their medical education paid for by the
military in exchange for four years of service as a physician, dentist, pharmacist,
or veterinarian. Attendees also took part in hands-on trauma simulations in the Saltzburg
Clinical Learning & Assessment Center.

"Military medical students from DO and MD schools across the region—and even some
from across the country—attend this event,” said Alex Blau (DO ’17), an ensign in
the naval reserve who served as coordinator for the symposium. “It’s apropos that
the event is held annually at an osteopathic institution, as DOs make up a significant
portion of military physicians, certainly a greater proportion than is found in the
civilian sector. The unique skills we learn at our osteopathic institutions are of
great benefit to the military, where medicine is often practiced in austere environments
where our hands may be the best tools we have to treat our battalion or squadron."

The event is open to any MD, DO or dental student who is currently in the HPSP program
or is considering joining the military, and any pre-med or pre-dental student who
is interested in learning more about a medical career in the military.

The link between osteopathic medicine and the military goes back to the field’s very
founding; the father of osteopathic medicine, A.T. Still, served in the 21th Regiment
of the Kansas State Militia during the Civil War. DOs who serve in the military have
used their additional training in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) to relieve pain and treat injuries on the battlefield when medication or other treatments
may not be readily available.

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About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Founded in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine has trained thousands
of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists
who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms.
PCOM offers doctorate degrees in educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy,
physical therapy and psychology, and graduate degrees in aging and long-term care
administration, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, mental health counseling,
organizational development and leadership, physician assistant studies and school
psychology. Our students learn the importance of health promotion, education and service
to the community and, through PCOM’s Healthcare Centers, provide care to medically
underserved populations in inner-city and rural locations. For more information, visit
pcom.edu.